PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Measuring sea-level rise in the Falklands

Sea-level rise

2010-10-21
(Press-News.org) Sea levels around the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic have risen since the mid nineteenth century and the rate of sea-level rise has accelerated over recent decades, according to newly published research. The findings are as expected under global warming and consistent with observations elsewhere around the globe.

"We have been fortunate in being able to compare modern sea-level measurements obtained from tide gauges and from satellite radar altimeters with historical measurements made at Port Louis in the Falkland Islands in 1842," explained researcher Prof. Philip Woodworth of the National Oceanography Centre.

In 1839, distinguished naval officer and polar explorer James Clark Ross (1800�) set off on an expedition to the Southern Ocean with two ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror. In April 1842, he stopped at Port Louis, primarily to make magnetic field and other measurements, but also to make repairs to his ships which had been badly damaged in the Drake Passage. Having set up a winter base, he took the opportunity to make careful measurements of sea level relative to two benchmarks cut into the cliffs and marked with brass plaques.

These marks remain in good condition to this day. This fact, along with the apparent good quality of Ross's data, has allowed Woodworth's team to compare the sea level records from 1842 with measurements taken at Port Louis using modern instruments in 1981�, 1984 and 2009. They also used information from nearby Port Stanley, where a permanent tide gauge was operated in the 1960s and 1970s and where NOC has had an operational gauge since 1992.

After correction for air pressure effects and vertical land movement due to geological processes, the researchers find that sea levels rose by an average of around 0.75 millimetres a year between 1842 and the early 1980s. They point out that this figure is similar to previous estimates for the long-term rate of sea-level rise at Port Arthur in Tasmania, measurements with which Ross was also associated, and at other locations in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

However, they also find evidence that the rate of sea-level rise has accelerated over recent decades. Specifically, they estimate that sea levels around the Falkland Islands have risen by an average of around 2.5 millimetres a year since 1992, a figure consistent with measurements made by satellite radar altimeters over the same period.

Longer-term data from the Falklands, and from many other locations, are needed to establish whether the apparent acceleration in sea-level rise is due to increased global warming, or the result of some kind of decadal fluctuation.

"The benchmarks left by James Clark Ross on the cliffs of Port Louis will facilitate future studies of sea-level change – just as Ross intended," said Woodworth.

INFORMATION: The researchers are Philip Woodworth and David Pugh (National Oceanography Centre, UK), and Richard Bingley (Institute of Engineering Surveying and Space Geodesy, University of Nottingham, UK).

This work was funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council and the Shackleton Fund.

Publication: Woodworth, P. L., Pugh, D. T. & Bingley, R. M. Long-term and recent changes in sea level in the Falkland Islands. J. Geophys. Res. 115, C09025 (2010). doi:10.1029/2010JC006113 http://www.agu.org/journals/jc/jc1009/2010JC006113/


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Eating mostly whole grains, few refined grains linked to lower body fat

2010-10-21
BOSTON (October 20, 2010) - People who consume several servings of whole grains per day while limiting daily intake of refined grains appear to have less of a type of fat tissue thought to play a key role in triggering cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests. Researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Researcher Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University observed lower volumes of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) in people who chose to eat mostly whole grains instead of refined grains. "VAT volume was approximately 10 % lower in adults ...

Cancer: Discovery of a very promising biological marker

2010-10-21
The follicle stimulating hormone, FSH, targets the human reproductive organs: the ovaries and testicles. In women, it stimulates maturation of ovarian follicles and production of oestrogens (via its action on granulosa cells). In men, it stimulates production of spermatozoa (via its action on the Sertoli cells). FSH receptor, which was the subject of the work carried out by the Inserm researchers, is normally only found in cells stimulated by FSH (granulosa cells in women and Sertoli cells in men). However, it is also present in very small quantities in the blood vessels ...

Small is beautiful in hydroelectric power plant design, and good for the environment

Small is beautiful in hydroelectric power plant design, and good for the environment
2010-10-21
Hydroelectric power is the oldest and the "greenest" source of renewable energy. In Germany, the potential would appear to be completely exploited, while large-scale projects in developing countries are eliciting strong criticism due to their major impact on the environment. Researchers at Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) have developed a small-scale hydroelectric power plant that solves a number of problems at the same time: The construction is so simple, and thereby cost-efficient, that the power generation system is capable of operating profitably in connection ...

New equation could advance research in solar cell materials

2010-10-21
ANN ARBOR, Mich.---A groundbreaking new equation developed in part by researchers at the University of Michigan could do for organic semiconductors what the Shockley ideal diode equation did for inorganic semiconductors: help to enable their wider adoption. Without the Shockley equation, the computers of today would not be possible. Developed in 1949 by William Shockley, the inventor of the transistor, the Shockley equation describes the relationship between electric current and voltage in inorganic semiconductors such as silicon. The new equation describes the ...

Philippines may have more unique bird species: CCNY biologist

2010-10-21
Recent work by Dr. David Lohman, assistant professor of biology at The City College of New York, suggests the Philippines, considered by biologists to be a "biodiversity hotspot," could have more unique species of birds than previously thought. If that proves to be the case, it could have important ramifications for conservation practices there. Many of the animal species found in the Philippines are endemic to this nation, which is made up of more than 7,100 islands. For example, 64 percent of its land mammal species and 77 percent of its amphibians are not found anywhere ...

Dopamine model could play role in treating schizophrenia and drug addiction

2010-10-21
In the brain, dopamine is involved in a number of processes that control the way we behave. If an action results in the substance being released, we are more likely to repeat the action. This applies to actions such as eating, sexual intercourse or winning a competition. However, the same also holds true when individuals take harmful narcotics. Scientists believe that mental illnesses such as schizophrenia can be linked to dopamine imbalances. Learning signal If an action leads to a better response than expected, the brain will temporarily release more dopamine. If ...

Psychologists at the forefront of weight management

2010-10-21
Over the last few decades, the dramatic rise in pediatric obesity rates has emerged as a public health threat requiring urgent attention. The responsibility of identifying and treating eating and weight-related problems early in children and adolescents falls to health care providers and other professionals who work with the child, according to Professor Denise Wilfley and colleagues from the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in the US. Furthermore, the key to successful treatment is a team effort involving providers and parents. Wilfley's ...

Hormone therapy increases invasive breast cancer and mortality, WHI 11-year follow up finds

2010-10-21
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Results of a new Women's Health Initiative (WHI) report show that hormone therapy is associated with an increased the risk of death from breast cancer, as well as an increased risk of developing invasive breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Jean Wactawski-Wende, PhD, professor of social and preventive medicine at the University at Buffalo and one of the primary authors on the paper, published today in JAMA, says the breast cancers found in these women also tended to have more lymph node involvement, indicating a poorer prognosis. "This report, which ...

The real 'mommy brain': New mothers grew

2010-10-21
WASHINGTON — Motherhood may actually cause the brain to grow, not turn it into mush, as some have claimed. Exploratory research published by the American Psychological Association found that the brains of new mothers bulked up in areas linked to motivation and behavior, and that mothers who gushed the most about their babies showed the greatest growth in key parts of the mid-brain. Led by neuroscientist Pilyoung Kim, PhD, now with the National Institute of Mental Health, the authors speculated that hormonal changes right after birth, including increases in estrogen, ...

New regulator of circadian clock identified

2010-10-21
Montreal, October 20, 2010 – Daily sleeping and eating patterns are critical to human well-being and health. Now, a new study from Concordia University has demonstrated how the brain chemical dopamine regulates these cycles by altering the activity of the "clock-protein" PER2. Published in the Journal of Neuroscience, these findings may have implications for individuals with Parkinson's Disease with disrupted 24-hour rhythms of activity and sleep. "PER2 is a protein well-known for its role in the regulation of daily or circadian rhythms, this is why it is referred to ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Announcing Immortal Dragons as Tier 4 Sponsor of ARDD 2025

Reporting guideline for chatbot health advice studies

Announcing Mitra Bio as Tier 3 Sponsor of ARDD 2025

Study identifies global upswing in photosynthesis driven by land, offset by oceans

Study reports final clinical trial data for advanced kidney cancer treatment

Antibiotic resistant bacteria found in malnourished children under five years old

Study: Most US homes can save money and affordably weather blackouts with solar plus storage

The human touch of doctors will still be needed in the AI healthcare revolution, technology expert suggests

Helping me, inhibiting you: Analysis of interactions between intestinal microbiota

Hearing loss lowers prospects of employment and higher income for young Americans

Dramatically lower temperature, same high performance!

Trigger warnings fall flat, but safe spaces build trust in the classroom

Searching for a lethal needle in a haystack: synthetic opioid 1000 times more potent than morphine

Smart wound monitor poised to improve chronic infection care

Study reveals spinning could reduce NHS waiting lists for physiotherapy treatments

New AI tool illuminates “dark side” of the human genome

CCNY team discovers potential chemo-induced cognitive changes in cancer survivors

New mRNA-based therapy that shows promise in heart regeneration after heart attack

Extremists use gaming platforms to recruit - study

Nearly 70% of U.S. children in car crashes with a fatality were not using proper child passenger restraints, study finds

Understanding what makes some bladder cancers resistant to chemotherapy

Protecting your beating heart

The key to lowering your water bill may already be at your door

Saliva testing may reveal early signs of diabetes and obesity

4D images show heat shield damage goes below the surface

Hibernator “superpowers” may lie hidden in human DNA

Changes in diet drove physical evolution in early humans

Experts call for science- and evidence-based AI policy

Challenges in governing rapidly emerging marine-climate interventions

Slowdown in protein translation drives aging in the killifish brain

[Press-News.org] Measuring sea-level rise in the Falklands
Sea-level rise